Registration for Summer Golf Camp is now open at Okeeheelee and Park Ridge Golf Courses. This is a great opportunity for junior golfers with some level experience to practice their skills and make new friends. Yes, there are opportunities for your inexperienced golfer as well. All details can be found in the flyer that follows:

Summer golf camp is a great way to get your kids excited about the game of golf. We teach fundamentals but we also make it fun to learn and excel in the basics of swing, chip and putt. The JGFA golf camp is also unique in that we teach golfers of varying ages and skills together. This environment creates unexpected friendships and fosters friendly competition.

As a Golf Teaching Professional, I tend to be firm and direct yet encouraging with the junior golfers. This means I do not tolerate nonsense during my teaching sessions. I believe there is a time and place for fun. One of those times is at the end of a hot day when I have arranged for an impromptu water balloon fight. I don't do these everyday but when I do we have a blast and inevitably I end up getting soaked.

The most rewarding part of camp for me is seeing the growth. I recall one camper with a great baseball swing, he would make contact with the golf ball but the distance suffered. It was a challenge for him to make the adjustment to a golf swing, but when he finally got it, he was amazed by how far the ball could travel.

Some of our advanced junior golfers serve as volunteers and often compete against the campers in skill drills. These are usually opportunities for the campers to see what's possible for their future if they continue to practice. Once in awhile, a camper is victorious, like when an 11 year-old female won a chipping contest against one of our most accomplished volunteers.

This summer I created a new skill challenge with cones to help the campers become more proficient with putts that curve about three feet. This is a more advanced skill but one 10-year old female was able to get the putt in the hole. I also offer $5 to the camper who can sink a 50 -foot putt and I have had two 6-year old campers earn that prize this summer.

Only two more weeks of summer golf camp left, register your golfer today!

Camp. For some of us camp brings back memories of roughing it for the weekend with tents and fire pits. For others it is associated with going away to a place of fun and games for the summer. Today camp is a word used to most often describe a day dedicated to one specific activity.

Over the holiday break, Professional Golf Services, Inc. offers Golf Camp at Okeeheelee and Park Ridge Golf Courses for Juniors. Junior Golfers can choose to participate in camp for 1 day, 2 days or 3 days.

I was the Teaching Professional for yesterday's Golf Camp at Okeeheelee Golf Course. Six junior golfers (5 boys and 1 girl) of different skill levels joined me for an intense day of golf. As in every lesson, my goal is for each golfer to improve their game and have fun doing it. However, it is very important that we do this in a safe environment so I spend the beginning of every camp explaining the rules and reminding the golfers of golf etiquette.

Over the course of 4 hours, the golfers received group instruction on putting, chipping and driving. I designed a number of fun games to help the golfers practice their skills and then I provided individual coaching as I observed behaviors that need to be corrected.

One golfer started off feeling really discouraged with his putting but by the end of the session he was all smiles. A younger golfer surprised the group by hitting the most balls in the net. Other golfers were excited to see the ball go straighter and farther without a lot of effort.

Overall, there were lots of smiles and a little bit of frustration as the golfers made the necessary adjustments to their technique. It is always fun to hear the stories that the golfers share about their day with their parents.

If you have a junior golfer in your family, consider registering for next week's camp.